After the successful liberation of Ramadi by Iraqi army earlier this week, Hawija has become the new epicentre of the fight against Islamic State militants. Iraqi army and Kurdish Peshmerga fighter jets and helicopters on Wednesday pounded IS targets in the northern Iraqi city. Shia militias have reportedly joined Iraqi army and Peshmerga forces to wage assault against IS around Hawija. The aerial video shot from a helicopter shows Iraqi army firing missiles and heavy artillery on IS positions in Hawija city.
About 700 Islamic State fighters are still believed to be hiding in the centre and eastern outskirts of Ramadi days after Iraqi forces claimed victory over the militants in the western city, the U.S.-led coalition said on Wednesday.
Much of the centre of the Anbar provincial capital still needs to be cleared of explosives laid by the jihadist insurgents who had seized the city in May, the coalition said. That will delay the return of tens of thousands of civilians who fled to Baghdad and other parts of Iraq.
After months of cautious advances backed by coalition air strikes, the Iraqi army retook Ramadi on Sunday in its first big victory against the hardline Sunni Islamists who swept through a third of Iraq in 2014.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Wednesday ordered the immediate formation of a high-level committee including the Anbar governor and senior federal government officials to stabilize and rebuild Ramadi.
Source : Indian Express
